Action-bracket



A. G. GULBRANSEN- ACTION BRACKET.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 15. 1917.

1,385,076, Patented July 19, 1921.

" UNITED sTArss; PATENT oFncE.

AXEL e. GULBRANSEN, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 GULBRANSEN- mcxmson com any, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLI- f NOIS.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known thatI, AXEL G. GULnRANsnN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Action-Brackets, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying'drawings, forming a part of thiszspecification.

"My invention relates to action brackets for pneumatic player pianos. The bracket I Seco'ndboth actions are adjustable as a "each end of the, piano for supporting the socket allows the brackeitto tilt with respect' of my invention is; intended to support both the 'piano'action and the pneumatic player action'for operating the piano action. Heretofore, the customary practicehas been to support "these actions individually upon bracketsand upon'the body of the piano,

3 the majority ofthese modes of support being objectionable due to the difiiculties of removal and adjustment of the actions and the likelihood ofdisplacement of one ac tion relative to the other due'to warping of wood supports or frames. The particularpoints of utility accruing to the use of "my brackets are: I

First-both actions are applicable and removable as a unit which makes themdecidedly-advantageous as a combined attachment for an ordinary piano;

unit relative to the strings and keys and Third-the pneumatic action is independently adjustable and independently remov "able, relative to the piano action.

In the drawings: 7 e Figure 1 .is a side elevation of the bracket,

with the piano and pneumatic actions mounted thereon; and

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. The bracket 10 made entirely of metal, is

supported upon adjusting screws 11 and 12 in the key bed 13. ,I have illustrated butasingle bracket, though of course it isto be.

understood that a bracket is employed at ends of the piano and. pneumatic actions.

ed intothe key bed 13 and has a spherical head '14 engagln a flared socket in the base portion 10--of-t e bracket 10. Theflared base 10.

ACTION-BRACKET.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 19, 1921 Application filed October 15, 1917. Serial No. 196,588. 7 i

to the screw 11 when the bracket is adjusted. The adjusting screw 12 threads into a block 15, on the key bed 13 and has a conical tip engaging in a screw hole 16 in the bracket At the upper end ofthe bracket 10 is the arm 10. which has a slot 17, in which lies the action bolt 18, which threads into the piano plate 19.

I have illustrated somewhat diagrammatically the piano action 20, as it will be evident that the specific details thereof do not enter into my lnvention and that the bracke'tof my invention is applicable to a f great variety of slightly dissimilar actions. Adjacent the base portion 10 of the bracket is mounted the'action rail 21 to which are pivoted the stickers 22, through the medium of the tongues The keys 24 having the customary capstan screws, lie beneath the stickers 22in suitable position for en gaging the ends of the stickers. Intermediate .the bracket 10 is another action rail 25 i to which are pivot-ed the wippens 26, the

damper levers 27 and the hammer fbutts28f The actionrail 25 abuts the cheeks 29, protruding from the bracket 10, and is secured to the checks by the screws 30. A spring rail 31, for cooperation with the damper rods- 32, is mounted on the upright arm 10*, which is bulged outwardly at this particularpoint to provide suilicient body for receiving the screws 33. A. ledge portion 10 of the bracketlO seats the cushion block; 34: of the hammer-rail 35. a

The operation and functions of these various elements of the pianoaction willv be obvious to those skilled in the art and no description thereof will be made. i

Anadjusting screw 36 threads into the screw hole 16 and supports on its pointed end the lower edge of the channel board 37. A lock nut 38 looks the. screw 36 in any ad justed position. the bracket 10 has threaded therein a similar adjusting screw 39 and lock nut 40 which The pneumatic actionfl comprises the An extending arm 10 on stack of pneumatics 42', mounted on the rear face of the channel board 37, each pneumatic having an individual push rod 4-3, connected to the movable leaf of the pneumatic, and sliding through the guide strip at. A head 45 on the push rod a3 engages a button i6 on its individual wippen 2G for oscillation of the wippen upon contraction of its associated pneumatic d2, in a manner which will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the piano action and the pneumatic action in their mountings upon the bracket, comprise'a unit applicable and adjustable as a unitary structure. To incline or raise or lower both actions, as for varying the proximity of the hammers 4:7 to the strings l8, or for adjusting the engagement between the stickers 22 and the keys 2%, it is only necessary to manipulate the action bolt 18 and the adjusting screws 11 and 12. These constitute the three points of support of the bracket, are readily applicable to the ordinary piano, and render the combination universal as an adapter or attachment. By unscrewing the action bolt 18, the actions and brackets may be removed as an entirety, thus facilitating adjustment and repair.

The pneumatic action can be independently adjusted as for securing the proper engagement between the push rod heads 4:5 and the wippen buttons 46, by manipulation of the adjusting screws 36 and 89. These screws also permit facile removal of the entire pneumatic action from the bracket. The rubber tubes between the tracker bar and action channel bracket (not shown) are the only exterior connections of the pneumatic action and these may be readily removed.

I do not intend to be limited to the precise form of the bracket illustrated nor to the specific means of adjustment, except as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a player piano, the combination of a bracket, said bracket being formed with a vertical body portion and two lateral members extending from said body portion, said body portion adapted to support a piano action, said lateral members adapted to support a pneumatic action positioned therebetween, adjustment means cooperating with said bracket to adjust the position of the latter independently of the adjustment means of the pneumatic action and adjustment means cooperating with said pneumatic action to adjust the pneumatic action relative to the piano action.

2. In a player piano, a bracket, said bracket comprising a. rear upright portion and two lateral portions extending forwardly therefrom, said upright portion adapted to support a piano action and said lateral portions adapted to support a pneumatic action directly between them, said bracket having means for adjusting the pneumatic action independently of the piano action.

3. In a player piano having a plurality of strings and a plurality of keys, a supporting bracket, a piano action'mounted on said bracket, said bracket having a pair of integral arms projecting therefrom, a pneu matic action mounted on said arms, means on said bracket for adjusting the position of said piano action relative to said strings and keys, and means on said arms for ad justin g the position of said pneumatic action relative to said piano action.

4c. In a player piano, at key bed, adjusting screws in said key bed. a bracket supported on said adjusting screws, a plurality of rails mounted on said bracket, piano action supported on said rails, a pair of vertical adjusting screws one above the other in said bracket, and a pneumatic action supported on and between said latter adjusting screws.

5. In a player piano having a frame and a key bed, a bracket comprising a substantially vertical portion having suitable means for supporting a. piano action, and a pair of laterally extending arms, an adjusting screw for the lower end of said vertical portion supported by the key bed, a second adjusting screw for the vertical portion supported on the piano frame, and a third adjusting screw for supporting one of said laterally extending arms upon the key bed, said laterally extending arms supporting a pneumatic channel board between them.

6. In a player piano having a frame and a key bed. a bracket comprising a substanti ally vertical portion having suitable means for supporting a piano action, and a pair of laterally extending arms, an ad usting screw for the lower end of said vertical portion supported by the key bed, an adjustable action bolt for the vertical portion supported on the piano frame, and a second adjusting screw for supporting one of said laterally extending arms upon the key bed, said laterally extending arms supporting a pneumatic channel board between them, and adjusting screws in the outer ends of said laterally extending arms for adjusting the channel board on said arms independently of the adjustment of the bracket as a whole.

7. In a player piano, a key bed, adjusting screws in said key bed, a bracket supported on said adjusting screws, a plurality of rails mounted on said bracket, a piano action supported on said rails, a pneumatic channel board, a pair of adjustable supporting screws mounted on said bracket, one above the other, said screws engaging the channel board on its upper and its lower sides respectively, and a pneumatic action supported on the channel board and adapted to operate the piano action.

ment, and a pneumatic action engaged directly and supported between said screws.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe 10 my7name this 13th day of October A. D; 191 c n AXEL G. GULBRANSEN. 

